Lost Eyes
by Dare-Sonar
Summary: COMPLETE [Takes place after the Season 3 finale] A surprise birthday party, a pregnancy test, a hostage situation and some romance: one simple murder case winds up changing the CSIs forever. [Grissom fic]
1. Lost Eyes

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first CSI fanfic, edited and reevaluated to make it more true to the characters and to the history of our wonderful soap opera disguised as a crime show. The plot changes a tad to make the story [very slightly] Gil/Sara and [very heavily] Greg/Original Character and to change the stupid little mistakes I had written before I owned all three seasons on DVD. Not that I'm obsessed or anything. Twitch

DISCLAIMER: Do I really have to do these? I think they're stupid: I don't own any of it, I just own Sonya.

SETTING: This takes place 3 weeks after the Season 3 Finale. Grissom made it through the surgery okay but has been even more of a workaholic and withdrawn lately.

* * *

Gil Grissom sat at his desk, staring into space. The clock on his desk read 7:59 pm. As it turns to 8:00 pm, the day crew left and the Las Vegas Crime Lab became alive.

Greg Sanders was the first to arrive. He still had scars on his face from the explosion. For some reason, he still couldn't get it off of his mind, even though it was almost a month ago. Not for the first time, he wondered if he should still be working here... He put on his lab coat and walked back to the newly renovated lab. His eyes slowly wandered over to the heating plate, making sure it was turned off.

Warrick Brown ran in next, shoving a muffin in his mouth. Before he could go anywhere, his cell phone rang.

"Brown," Warrick said, stopping in his tracks.

"Warrick?" The voice belonged to Clay Johnson, the father of Warrick's latest case, a DB: a little girl.

"Mr. Johnson?" Warrick asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry to call you so early, it's just... Lyla's funeral... it's today... and since you've worked so hard on her case, I figured... y'know, you would want to come."

Warrick's eyes filled with tears involuntarily. He had never felt so torn. He couldn't even imagine how hard it would be to invite the man who couldn't find his daughter's killer to her funeral.

Warrick's eyes flew to Grissom's shut door.

"What time?" Warrick asked, walking over to his office.

Sara Sidle opened the doors next. She adjusted her coat and her eyes flew to Grissom's door as well. She walked past the Lab and paused to look through the glass to Greg.

Her cell phone rang.

"Sidle," she said, still focused on Greg.

"Sara." The voice was Grissom's. She looked past Greg and saw Gil on the other side, watching her with his calm eyes, which have been even more desolate lately.

"Is Greg shaking?" He asked, still talking on her cell.

Sara focused in on Greg's hands, just as he spilled some hydrochloric acid.

Sara hung up her phone and looked through the 2 panes of glass that separated her from Grissom and nodded. He hung up his cell to and retreated back into his office. Sara lingered for a few more seconds and left.

Nick Stokes wandered in next. Sighing, he opened his locker and the odd feeling of sadness crept in again. He shook his head, closed his locker and left.

The last to arrive was Catherine, 30 minutes late. She flew through the door right into Grissom.

"You're late," he said in his matter-of-fact way.

"I'm sorry, it's just Lindsey was running late and I had to drive her to-" She stopped and looked in Grissom's eyes. "If you had kids, you…" She paused, shook her head, and just left.

The Las Vegas Crime Lab had awakened.

* * *

Gil walked into the modest house in the suburbs. It was a half an hour after shift started, and he already had a fresh murder case.

"Hillary and Jon Winters," Jim said, meeting Gil at the door. "Fairy tale life. They hosted children for temporary foster care."

"When does the fairy tale end?" Gil asked, dodging the police men running about.

"When Hillary kills Jon because of his flaming affair." Jim said abruptly. "The DB's in the bathroom. We got a confession when you were heading over. Don't you wish it was always that easy?"

Gil didn't say anything and walked into the bathroom. Jon Winters was sprawled out in the middle of the floor, a bullet hole through his head, the blood in a puddle on the floor. He took a few pictures and determined that the woman's story checked out perfectly.

"Where is she?" Gil asked, turning his back to the DB.

"She's in the living room. She's had her rights read to her, so question her all up. She's in a right state."

Grissom walked into the living room. There were pictures of different children on the mantle. He walked up to Hillary Winters. She was probably a pretty woman, but with the blood on her shirt and her arms twisted awkwardly behind her in the handcuffs, she looked terrible.

"Mrs. Winters?" Gil asked. She looked up, her eyes swollen from crying. "I'm so sorry... so sorry."

"Mrs. Winters," Gil asked, crouching down to look at her straight in the eyes. "Do you have a foster child right now?"

"I'm sorry. Why did I do this? Why?" She was crying more now, ignoring everything.

"Hillary." He stated firmly. She looked in his eyes as if just out of a trance.

"Are you hosting children?" Gil asked urgently.

"Just one..." She said, starting to break down again.

"Who?" Gil asked again.

She pointed up on the mantle to a woman.

"No, not a friend. A child. Who is the child?"

She started crying. The cops lead her out. "You're not getting anything out of her."

Gil nodded. He turned and saw Jim.

"Get me the kid."

Gil came back into the LVCL and made a beeline for his office when he got a call on his cell phone. It was Jim.

"We got the girl. Her name is Sonya Connors. I'm bringing her in."

"Okay. Bring her into interrogation. I'll be there in fifteen." Gil stood up and looked at the clock. It was 10:30. It's amazing how much can happen in a short time on the job. He shook his head and headed into interrogation. Before he opened the door, Jim walked up behind him.

"Here's her file," Jim said, handing him a thick manila folder.

"What file?" He asked, not concentrating again.

Jim gave him a look. "Her Social Services File. She's in temporary foster care at the Las Vegas Social Service Center down on fifth."

Gil nodded and took the file and read it before going in:

-----------------------

CONNORS, SONYA ELENA (OCTOBER 1986)

MOTHER: Elena Lopez (1970-1991)

DEATH: Pancreatic Cancer

FATHER: Herman Connors (1965- )

DEATH: N/A

REASON FOR SOCIAL SERVICES INTERVENTION:

Sexual abuse by biological father. Subject called police January 16th, 1996 when subject

was 9 years of age. Subject was removed from residence the same night. Subject's biological

father is serving 6 years for child molestation and incest as of February 1998.

TEMPORARY FOSTER CARE:

JAN 1996-FEB 1997: Karla and Bob Smithers-San Jose, CA

MAR 1997-APR 1998: Sarah Wit- Sacrament, CA

MAY 1998-DEC 1998: Barbra and Walter Smith-Salt Lake City, UT

JAN 1999- DEC 1999: Susan and Mark Katz-Carson City, NV

JAN 2000-JUN 2000: Hermann Ruth-Carson City, NV

JUL 2000-JAN 2001: Franszica and Jake Germaine- Denver, CO

FEB 2001-NOV 2001: Sally and Fred Hyde-Colorado Springs, CO

DEC 2001- FEB 2003: Polly and Jack Sumptor- Reno, NV

MAR 2003- : Hillary and Jon Winters-Las Vegas, NV

EDUCATION:

Skipped fourth and seventh grades

Is considered "gifted"

-----------------------

Gil looked up from the harsh social services folder to the door separating the 16 year old junior from himself. He really dreaded talking with a sexually abused teenager.

Grissom opened the door and Sonya was sitting at the table, silent.

Grissom was surprised. He usually prided himself on being a very open-minded and non-stereotypical person, but Sonya Connors was not what he expected.

She looked a lot older. She wasn't really tall or physically gorgeous. She was pretty, in a simple, sophisticated sort of way. It was hard for Grissom to read her like he usually does many people, out of habit. The first thing he was drawn to was her eyes. They were a bright blue that stood out in contrast to her black hair. It wasn't the color, though. It was what was in them. He could see such a sense of pure loneliness, such determination and complete independence. Those eyes . . . those familiar eyes. . . Grissom could have sworn he has seen those eyes before; he just couldn't put his finger on it.

He shook his head, realizing he had been staring.

"Hello," Grissom said in his curious manner, "My name is Gil Grissom, I'm a Crime Scene Investigator here at the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Can I ask you a few questions?"

Sonya stood up and shook his hand. "Sonya Connors."

Gil sat down, and spread the Winter's file in front of him.

"This case is pretty much close to closing, so I will keep this brief. First, are you okay to talk about the Winters?" He cast his gaze upward to meet her lost eyes.

"Mr. Grissom, no matter what my social services packet says, I am not a sad, abused teenager with low self esteem and repressed memories. Please treat me like a mature adult."

Gil silently berated himself for stereotyping again. Despite himself, he broke his eye contact and looked down. He forced his eyes back to hers and said, rather bluntly, "Do you have any reason to believe that Mrs. Winters is covering for someone who else who murdered Mr. Winters?"

Meanwhile, Sara just got back from working a breaking and entering when she flew through the door of the LVCL. She really needed to talk to Grissom.

"Warrick!" She said, catching Warrick on his way out. He stopped dead and turned around. "Where's Grissom?"

"Sara? Are you okay?" Warrick asked, sensing Sara's urgency. Sara forced her fear down in a swallow and said, "Naw, I was just... curious."

Warrick gave her a look of doubt, but seemed to be in a hurry, so he said, "Um... I think he's in interrogation."

"Thanks. I'll see you later," She said, trying her hardest to not run to interrogation.

When she got there, she walked behind the one sided mirror and watched Grissom. She was all by herself, so she pulled up a chair and sat and watched Grissom with mixed feelings.

_Why?_ She wandered to herself, _why can't I figure out this guy?_

Meanwhile, back in the room, Grissom was trying to figure out the young woman in front of him.

"No. Jon was a classic depressed man in the middle of a mid-life crisis."

"How do you know that?" Grissom asked.

"When you live your life around many different people," Sonya said, keeping the eerie eye contact, "You find certain traits in common with them all."

Grissom nodded, understanding completely.

"Thank you for your time, Sonya." Grissom said. They both stood up and Gil held the door open for her and she exited. He shut the door, leaving himself alone in the room. He sat down and collected the folders. Sara was preparing to leave when Grissom sat and put his head in his hands.

Sara stopped packing her things and sat down, intrigued. Grissom sighed and caught something out of the corner of his eye. In the silence of the room, he turned and caught his own reflection.

Now he realized something. How stupid he was not to think of it before! The deep loneliness, the sadness, the fierce determination... the lost eyes. He knew where he had seen the lost eyes before.

Gil stood up and walked closer to the mirror.

They were his. He had lost eyes, just like her.

Lost eyes...

* * *

"Procrastinate now, before it's too late."

-Ellen Degeneres


	2. Hopeless

Warrick stood at her grave, looking down at Lyla Johnson, whose childlike innocence was captured too well.

He turned his back and tried as hard as he could not to cry. He left. In the middle of the funeral, he just left.

_I can't do this anymore,_ Warrick thought to himself. He got into his car and left. He ended up on the strip, just walking, observing the people he passed.

Then, he felt it. The pull. The pull to go gambling. He shook his head; his shoulders sagged as he walked into the building sporting the neon sign boasting the usual gambling opportunities.

Warrick looked up and realized it.

So this is what it felt like to have no hope...

* * *

FOUR DAYS LATER:

Sara stood outside the drugstore, in a moment of uncertainty.

"Just go inside," she said to herself, nodding at a couple who passed and had worried looks on their faces because she was talking to herself.

She forced herself into the store. There was slight music playing and she saw the man at the counter, giving her the "ooh-la-la" look. She walked up to him and asked bluntly, "Where are your pregnancy tests?"

His smirk disappeared and he pointed towards the second aisle.

"Thanks," she said, unaware of the shakiness in her voice and her step. She walked over and forced herself to read the back of every one, eventually choosing one that satisfied her. She paid the money and ran to her house and ran straight for her bathroom. After checking the results, she flew out of the room in a rush.

"Oh shit," She said to herself.

* * *

Sara ran into the LVCL, accidentally running into Catherine.

"Hey Sara, I thought this was your day off." Catherine said, stopping in her tracks.

"I don't need a day off," She stated quickly, as if Catherine knew.

Catherine saw her cold look and let it drop. Sara ran to Grissom's office and knocked on the door.

"Grissom." She said through the door. There was no reply, so she knocked harder.

"Hey Sara, I thought you were sick today," Nick said, casually walking up to her.

"I'm not..." She said, starting to break down without crying. Nick looked at her wide eyed. "You're starting to scare me, Sara."

Sara was about to say something, but decided to ignore him.

"Where's Grissom?" She asked.

Nick still looked slightly worried about her, but he figured if she had a problem Grissom was a better person to try to solve it.

"I think he went to the Social Services place to follow up the Winters case. Wasn't that thing already closed?"

"Thanks," Sara said, ignoring him and running for her car. She got into the car then paused.

_What am I doing?_ She asked herself, looking at her reflection from the review mirror. _It's none of his business that..._ She paused, letting the reality sink in. He needed to know.

She drove over to the Las Vegas Social Services building and ran in. The secretary was a woman named Sally, by her name tag. She had a bored, drawling voice and looked at Sara as if she were garbage.

"What do you want?"

"Is Sonya Connors still in temporary care here?" She asked. The woman glared and asked, "Why do you need her?"

"My name is Sara Sidle, I'm an investigator for the Winters murder case."

"Oh. One of your little buddies came by earlier." She popped her gum in an obnoxious way as she wrote down the address.

Sara nodded and turned on her heel and left in a hurry, still unsure of what she was about to do. She followed the address to a house near the Winters in the suburbs. She stopped her car next to Grissom's and was about to knock on the door when she caught a glance in the window.

On the couches in the living room, which was visible from the window in the door she saw Grissom's back, talking to the two parents there. She just paused and watched the picture in front of her, and in a moment of sadness she knew that her life would never be like that.

She got ready to knock on the door and hesitated.

She shook her head and turned around, leaving the scene undisturbed. It didn't matter anymore.

As she was walking down the driveway she was stopped by a severe, shooting pain in her abdomen. It was so intense that she fell on the ground, clutching her stomach. Then, as quickly as it came, the pain was gone. The fuzz in her eyes disappeared and she ran for her car, hoping that no one had seen her.

She looked at herself in the review mirror again.

_What am I supposed to do?_ She wandered to herself. She felt so lost.

* * *

"So many people focus on the drought, but nobody sees the green grass." –Loo


	3. Hopeful

It bothered everyone at the LVCL.

For the past three days, Gil had been leaving early.

Catherine watched as he passed her office. _He has enough vacation time carried over to leave the office early for the rest of his life,_ she said, and then frowned. _But still, what the heck is that guy doing?_

Warrick and Nick were eating a late lunch when they saw Grissom walk by. There was a moment of silence when Nick voiced what they both were thinking: "What the heck is that guy doing?"

Warrick nodded and smiled as they both continued to devour their sandwiches.

Sara watched him pass. It had been three days since her almost telling Grissom, and she hadn't spoken to him since. If he wasn't so preoccupied with whatever it was he was doing, he would have noticed her withdraw. Or maybe not. She shook her head and muttered to herself, "What the heck is he doing?"

Grissom drove over to the office, walked through the door and was greeted by Ms. Williams.

"All you have to do is sign here and this entire thing is finalized," Ms. Williams said, pointing to a line on the paper.

Grissom leaned over, signed his name in his loopy handwriting and paused.

_What the heck am I doing?_ He thought to himself.

* * *

Sonya walked into her new home, and walked into her new room.

"So this is my room?" She asked her new father. He nodded, and said in an unsure way, "Yeah, it used to be a guest room, but..."

It was late, so she lay on her bed and didn't even bother to get dressed in her PJ's.

Before the man could leave, Sonya started to talk: "I am someone who definitely has no hope."

"Why?"

"I learned as a child that hope... well... hope is a double edged sword. Many people picture hope as a fuzzy thing that helps someone's ambitions. Nope. It keeps you from letting go. And sometimes, letting go is something everyone needs to do."

"Yes. But hope also helps you drive to where you need to be in life. Hope helps you live. Hope... hope helps you find your way so you're," he paused, "Helps you from being lost."

Sonya smiled. "Thank you for giving me hope."

Gil Grissom stood at the door and smiled his charming, inquisitive smile. He shut the door and leaned against it.

"No," He whispered. "Thank you for giving me hope."

* * *

Dare-Soñar: I'm sorry it's a short chapter, but hey: brief yet beautiful

"If it is so easy to forget, so easy to ignore, and so easy to turn away, then why is it so hard to say goodbye?"


	4. Surprise

Dare-Soñar: This is a pivotal chapter in the story, so try to read everything!!!

* * *

Greg was ready to close up. He covered his test tubes up and turned off some of the machines.

He sat down to tie his shoes when he looked at his hands, which were shaking still.

He let out a shaky sigh. He spoke out loud to himself since there was no one around, just to hear his own voice.

"Why can't I get over this?" He said harshly, holding his hands together. He picked up his things and headed to the coffee room for the weekly meeting Grissom made them have.

Greg sat in the corner again as everyone else filed in. Nick and Warrick were punching each other in the shoulders playfully as Catherine walked in absorbed in the file she held in her hand. Sara came out of the bathroom holding her stomach. She straightened her jean jacket and headed over to the office and suddenly got into a conversation with Catherine. Gil came in and called the meeting to order.

It started out like they always do, talking about the normal life things when Greg said, completely out of the blue, "Grissom, what happened?"

Everyone at once fell silent and stared at Grissom for his answer.

"What do you mean, Greg?" He said, not losing his trademark cool.

"Well, I think I speak for everybody when you leave for three days almost three hours earlier then usual then come back... different."

All the heads turned back to Grissom. He sighed and said, "Fine. Yes, it is my birthday tomorrow..."

At once, everyone broke out laughing, starting to talk all at once.

Greg smiled then shot a look over at Grissom, who looked like the same old Gil, but his eyes... they were different, somehow.

They packed up and got ready to leave. Catherine stayed behind and sat there, staring at Gil.

Grissom stared back.

"Grissom, what's different?"

He remained silent, eyes cast downward.

"I'm not arguing, you seem... so much more alive lately." Catherine said slowly, carefully.

"Someone once said to me that hope can be terrible... That it can keep you from letting go of the things you needed to. And I realized it wasn't her telling me what she thinks, it was her telling me what I really think."

Catherine lowered her gaze and smiled, "Well, whatever that means, I like it."

He smiled as she left.

* * *

One day later, Catherine, Warrick, Nick, Sara, Jim and Greg stood outside Grissom's townhouse, stifling giggles and whispering hushed "shhhhhh's!"

They knocked on the door and as it opened they all yelled at the top of their lungs, "SURPRISE!!" Then they all paused and stared in shock.

The young woman who opened the door smiled a cool smile a lot like Grissom's and said, "For me, or for you?"

Grissom walked to the door and opened it and stared, still not losing his cool.

"Come on in, guys." He said, looking more like his curious self then someone who had a lot of explaining to do. They filed in and sat on his couches in a row, still questioning looks plastered on their face.

Catherine was the first to speak, "Gil Grissom, she looks like she's twenty years old! In court that would count as rape! Do you have any idea what you're doing? And you," She started and couldn't stop as she flashed her eyes to Sonya, "You are-"

"Wait, Cath." Sara said, her voice echoing mixed with Catherine's. "That's... that's the witness! From the Winters case."

Gil and Sonya smiled and Gil said, "Yes. So I kind of adopted her."

"Hi, my name is Sonya Connors, and Gil is my kind of adoptive father." She said, waving casually.

"Kind of??" Jim asked, shocked.

Greg was silent the entire time, looking at this young woman. She had long, thick black hair that looked so incredibly soft and her blue eyes seemed so... hypnotizing. She looked at him and her smile disappeared. Unbeknownst to the rest of the CSI clan, who were now speaking very loudly and demanding explanations, she slowly studied him and for the first time in Greg's entire life, he felt completely taken aback by a woman.

_She can't be a woman,_ Greg thought, shaking his head, breaking from her spell and focusing on the ground. _If Griss adopted her, she must be..._

Gil stood up and used himself as a barrier to all the questions.

"One at a time. Don't act like a bunch of reporters at a murder scene," Gil said, and all the science geeks in the room laughed, agreeing with him.

Gil started at the very beginning of the story, with Sonya jumping in every once and a while. While the story was being told, Catherine couldn't help but marvel with how much Gil and Sonya were alike. Not only did she jump in at perfect times, but they had the same slow, almost-faint smile and their eyes both spoke of so much curiosity and intelligence... that and the fact when Warrick asked when Gil was planning on telling everyone else, they both stated, at the exact same time, "Today."

"How old are you?" Sara asked, shocked and scared on how much Gil had changed, when, technically, it wasn't like he changed at all.

Everyone stopped at that question.

"Sixteen," She said, and everyone looked surprised at that. She did not pass off as a teenager at all. Grissom looked at the now smiling faces of his crew and was glad Sonya won them over with her witty personality. Maybe it was all she has been through, that entire life she has overcome that made her so much more mature, and so much like she was like every other adult in the world.

After being interrogated by the experienced crew, she hadn't even broken a sweat. She passed the test with flying colors.

"So you're a junior, then? Junior in High School?" Catherine asked as the people started to unpack the food they had brought and others started to wander over.

"Actually I just graduated High School last week. I skipped two grades, so I'm completely done."

Somehow, Catherine wasn't surprised that she was smart too. Soon, Sonya was wandering from small group to small group, and everyone was laughing, having a good time.

Greg broke off from the conversation he had been having with Nick and Warrick and sat down, and immediately, Sonya broke away as well and sat next to him. Her aura of pure confidence and keen maturity lead them right into a conversation.

Greg was amazed by this young woman. There was no other way to put it. As she talked and he answered, he found her to be so captivating that before he knew it, it was dinner. They gathered around the table and started chattering happily. In the middle of Sara and Greg sat Sonya, still deep in conversation with Greg, when it happened.

The third hideous shooting pain shot through Sara. She closed her eyes and prayed for it to just go away. When Sara's vision cleared, she saw everyone talking still, not aware of her problem.

She turned to look to Sonya, who was looking at her with comforting eyes.

"Sara," She said in her smooth voice, "Come help me bring out dessert."

Sara excused herself but no one noticed, they were all too busy talking. She followed Sonya into the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Sonya asked, sitting down Sara in a chair in front of her. Sara was surprised at her change in attitude. Sonya really knew how to grill someone. Sara just wasn't in the mood for that.

"Nothing, Sonya." She said, shrugging it off and trying to head back into the dining room. She turned around to look at her. Sonya was seated at the table.

"Does he know?" She asked, forcing Sara to stop in her tracks.

"What are you talking about?" Sara asked, fearing that Sonya knew the truth. Sonya stood up and walked over to Sara and looked deep into her eyes. Something in those eyes... something made Sara fall.

She fell on the floor and started crying.

"It's not my fault. I was... I was so stupid. Why did I do this to myself?" Sara broke down, crying as she held her stomach. "I didn't mean to work so hard. I didn't mean... I didn't mean to lose my baby."

* * *

"Now I can't go on / I can't even start / I got nothing left, / just an empty heart."-Bryan Adams


	5. True Kiss

If Sonya was surprised at that, she didn't show it. She picked Sara up and said, "You have got to tell Gil."

"I can't... He would lose so much respect, knowing that I... that I killed my baby."

"Okay, first off, Sara. Look at me." Sara forced herself to look into Sonya's eyes again. "You did not kill your baby. Miscarriages are things that happen. You did not kill your baby."

Those words slightly penetrated the thick cloud of self-hatred Sara had shrouded around herself.

"Secondly, miscarriages are a serious physical condition. You need to go to the doctor."

Sara's eyes flew open to that. Sonya gave her no time to argue.

"Now, we are going out there with that birthday cake," She said, pointing to Gil's cake. "And you are going to keep it together until then. You hear me?"

Sara nodded and they stood in there hugging for awhile, while Sara regained her self-composure. She just met the girl and she admitted more personal information to her than she would to a shrink. There was something about her eyes... she seemed so trustworthy...

They lit the candles and walked into the room, singing, joining the hideously out-of-tune chorus of "Happy Birthday".

* * *

As people started to leave, Sonya shot an intense look to Sara, who swallowed heavily and hung back while everyone was shooed out of the door. She was so distracted she didn't notice that Greg hung back and started to talk to Sonya.

"Gil... can we speak in private?" Sara asked, gesturing towards the kitchen door. He nodded, automatically sensing the serious nature of her request.

"Gil, I. . . I have to tell you something."

He looked at her and didn't say anything.

"Eight weeks ago, I... I got pregnant."

Gil still stood there, and didn't say anything.

"And two weeks ago, I had just gotten home and I... I started to bleed. Badly. I took a pregnancy test about five days ago and it was... negative." It almost hurt her to say this.

"Gil, I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before. It's just..."

"Well, Sara, it is none of my business. Is there anything else you would like to tell me?"

Sara paused, a million thoughts pouring through her mind, but again, she just shook her head. Suddenly, another pain shot through her, making her collapse onto the floor, her face contorted in inexplicable pain.

Suddenly, the veil of calm was ripped off of Gil's face as he dropped to the floor beside her.

"Sara! Sara, please tell me what's wrong." He tried to lay her straight but the pain pulled Sara into a shaking fetal position. Sonya and Greg ran over.

"Sonya, call an ambulance." Sonya flew off to his phone, while Greg looked over her with worried eyes.

The pain left her suddenly, panting on the floor. She felt cold. Grissom's pained face looked over her with such gentle care...

Sara stood up suddenly, and said, "I'm fine, you don't need to call an ambulance. I'm... fine. Dandy. Marvelous..." Her voice drifted off as three unbelieving faces connected with hers.

"They sent an ambulance." Sonya said, breaking the silence.

Sara leaned back into Grissom's lap, exhausted. She couldn't argue with these people.

* * *

TWO DAYS LATER:

Sara was sleeping in her hospital bed when she awoke, she saw Catherine watching her.

"Ugh," She grunted, wincing at the IV sticking in her arm. She sat herself up as her eyes swept the room. There were flowers from well-wishers scattered all over.

Sara paused, then asked the inevitable question: "So, what's wrong with me?"

Catherine sighed and said slowly, "Well, your uterus took a real beating..."

Sara started to feel slight fear, "Catherine. Will they... Can they save my uterus?"

Catherine sighed again, "Well, they really don't know yet. You're under observation for awhile."

Sara closed her eyes slowly and slowly ran her fingers over her stomach. The thought that it would hit this hard never occurred to her until right now.

"Go to sleep now, Sara." Catherine slowly smoothed her hands over her hair. Sara slumped over and fell back to sleep.

* * *

TWO MORE DAYS LATER:

Nick was there to take Sara home. She had been feeling better and the hospital decided to let her go, giving her about forty prescriptions as a welcome home gift.

Nick walked into the room and saw Sara, looking a lot better then she did, even when she was working previously. He came as the nurse said she was about to get the wheelchair to push her out. She left Nick and Sara to their uncomfortable silence.

"So." Nick said intelligently, clearing his throat.

"Yeah." She said. She was dressed in her clothes and looking a lot more refreshed.

"You know, Sara, I have to say this. You scared me. A lot."

She looked at her shoes.

"I'm embarrassed." She admitted.

"Why?"

"For letting myself go like this. I can't just ask for help. I have too much pride."

Nick raised his eyebrows, agreeing with her silently.

"You should have been there, Nicky. The way Grissom looked at me... he looked ashamed... it hurt. More than the other pains..."

Nick loaded her into the wheelchair and said, "Don't worry. Grissom will come around, Sara. You should have seen how scared he was. It may not seem that way, but he cares a lot for you."

Sara snapped up, shocked that he knew... that he knew she had a childish... _thing_... for Gil.

"Nick?"

"Yeah?"

She felt like saying something along the lines of how much of a good friend he was, but instead she said, "Remember the last time we were in a hospital together?"

Nick winced, "That was the same day I swore to never get pushed out of a window again."

Sara laughed.

* * *

THREE WEEKS LATER:

The LVCL had become normal again. Normal, if you consider the fact that Sonya was there every day. She would somehow always convince Gil that she wouldn't make any trouble and somehow end up there everyday. Since many of the people were in and out, and she wasn't allowed at any crime scenes, she spent most of her time with Al Robbins in the autopsy room. She was amazingly strong-stomached and curious. Al treated her mostly like a young college student and she was an eager pupil. She divided her time between Al and Greg.

One day, Gil was getting ready to head out when he saw Sonya and Greg in his office, his door shut and they were dancing like crazy maniacs. Gil walked over and opened the door and music poured out.

"What are you guys doing?" Gil asked in disbelief. "What are you guys listening to?"

Greg tossed over a CD. "The Who's 'Who Are You.' It's really cool!"

Gil walked over to the boom box and turned it off. "Get back to work."

Sonya grabbed the CD case and said, "Hey," to Greg's and Gil's backs. They spun around.

"Y'know, if this Lab needed one, this so would be your theme song."

They fell into a silence and pondered what she just said, and then they all shrugged and headed out to work.

Greg was having the time of his life. He would teach her how to work with the machines and it was nice to have someone around to talk to him about all kinds of things. It was funny, because they seemed to be almost complete opposites, which is why he was so drawn to her. They probably cancelled each other out perfectly in the "cosmos".

Gil was getting used to having a roommate. It was hard to think of her as a daughter because of her maturity. They would talk during dinner and sit around talking more.

There was one thing Gil noticed, though. Whenever he would lean in to hug her or touch her, she would stiffen like a board. No matter how much she tried to convince people otherwise, she was still afraid of physical contact, and psychological habits are hard to break.

* * *

MANY MONTHS LATER:

One day at the LVCL, Sonya's 78th time there, not that Greg was counting, she was in his office and he was processing DNA so they sat down on two seats and continued talking about whatever random things flew into their minds when Greg paused and asked her, without even thinking, "Do you wanna go eat?"

She paused, and looked at her watch. "Sure."

Greg jumped into his car and drove her over to one of his favorite places. They walked in and sat on the stools on the counter of the Deli.

While she was talking and eating her sandwich, Greg was thinking about how much things have changed. He used to look at every woman that

would pass, but he found he had tunnel vision whenever Sonya was in the room.

Greg was afraid to say it, but he thought he was falling in love.

Then, like a cold bucket of ice poured on his head, reality would set in and not only was he ten years older than her, but she was Grissom's daughter! How much unavailable can she get?

He found out when he decided to lean in and kiss her.

It could not have been any better. It was slow and gentle and so completely true that it could have lasted forever. Greg ran his fingers down her cheekbone as the world around him dissolved.

Sonya was shocked, but went with it. She slowly lifted her hands and ran her fingers through his hair. Then, it happened:

_Herman Connors came back from work, pissed off, as usual. Sonya was upstairs, silently studying when she heard the footsteps... They were coming closer... Closer. They stopped, right outside her door..._

Sonya ripped the kiss apart, whispering "No."

Greg's eyes popped open, and he said, "What?"

She lowered her eyes and said, "Greg, we need to talk."

Greg immediately felt his heart freeze.

"I..." For the first time in her life, Sonya looked vulnerable.

Greg found he had unearthed a very tender spot and said, "I'm sorry. I am so sorry."

"No, Greg, it's-" She fell silent.

He paid for their food and they drove back the Lab. Greg was so emotional. He never figured anyone could make him feel so helpless. So right when Grissom got back from a case he and Catherine had been working, Greg walked up to him directly, and pointed, very un-Greg-like, right at Gil's face and said, in front of everybody, "I need to talk to you, now." He spun around heading to Gil's office without looking back. Gil walked over, shut the door and said, "Yes Greg?"

"What-" He paused, trying to regain his cool as he lowered his voice, "What happened to Sonya?"

Gil somehow knew exactly what Greg was talking about, "What Sonya has dealt with in her past is her business."

Greg put it together easily. "She... Oh God, she was sexually abused..." He couldn't bring himself to say anymore.

Gil didn't say anything as Greg exited.

The weeks after passed without much excitement. Greg and Sonya were still talking, but Greg had to keep reminding himself about how he couldn't be falling in love with her. Which didn't help. At all.

* * *

Before they knew it, it had been three months. If someone knew the crew of the LVCL four months ago and then saw them now, they would have never guessed that one simple murder case could change everyone so very much.

* * *

"God doesn't call the equipped, he equips the called."


	6. Happy Anniversary

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I realize that it takes more than one year of college classes to become a CSI, but in this story I try to emphasize that Sonya is just a trainee/observer. I'm sorry for my lack of reality, so I am going to try to keep it as minimal as possible.

* * *

THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE EXPLOSION:

Gil sat at his desk, staring into space. The clock on his desk slowly turned to 8:00 as everyone started to file in.

Warrick came in first. He smiled a broad smile and walked over into his office.

Catherine walked in next, and walked over to Warrick's office and Grissom saw her crack a joke and they both started laughing. Catherine then headed over to the locker room.

Grissom's eyes headed to the door next as Sara and Nick headed in next, laughing over some lame Nick joke. She punched him on the shoulder and they walked in opposite directions.

Greg arrived next. He went into the center room and sat down and slowly watched as everyone in the lab smiled and joked like a sick family sitcom. In the silence, it always happened, though. He started shaking. It had been a year, an entire year since the explosion and when he was by himself he still shook like someone with Parkinson's.

Sonya was the last to arrive. She walked in the door with her badge hanging on her neck. She had officially became a CSI trainee while going to college. Greg's heart skipped a beat as she turned around and winked at him coolly. He grinned back as she hung up her jacket and took a look around the Lab.

Catherine came over and talked with Sonya for a few seconds and they headed out to do some minor crime scenes.

* * *

Catherine and Sonya headed towards a robbery. There was one squad car and a very irritated jewelry store owner. Catherine stepped out of her car, followed closely by Sonya.

"Hello, ma'am? My name is Catherine Willows, and this is my partner Sonya Connors. What happened?"

The woman started to tell her story when Sonya told Catherine she had a headache and needed head over to the convenience store across the street. Catherine nodded offhandedly.

No one noticed the man with a ski mask enter the store after Sonya did.

Sonya headed over to the medicine aisle and she saw the man come in. Everything else seemed to happen in slow motion.

The man whipped a gun out and started to yell at the counter man. When the man behind the counter attempted to reach behind the counter for a gun, a shot rang out.

Sonya ducked behind and heard the counter man scream in agony.

Meanwhile, Catherine and the squad car across the street spun around because they heard the gunshot. They were not now investigating a crime scene; they were the first force of a shootout.

The police officer immediately radioed for assistance as he used a megaphone to communicate with the criminal.

"This is the Las Vegas Police. Come out with your hands up," He commanded, drawing his gun along with Catherine.

"I got hostages!" He shrieked out, holding a little boy in his hands with the gun to his head.

"Shit," Catherine muttered. She just realized two things: This was now a full-blown hostage situation...

And Sonya was in there.

* * *

30 MINUTES LATER:

After being ordered to sit in the snack aisle, Sonya got a synopsis of the situation.

There were five hostages: A mother and her son, a man with a broken arm, herself, and the man behind the counter, who was shot in the thigh.

The man with the ski mask refused to let them talk to him, as he sat fifteen feet away. She saw his hands shaking as he nervously fingered his gun. She figured he wasn't expecting to be put in this situation, but he didn't notice that there was a cop fifty feet away from the store he was planning on robbing.

"Hi," She said quietly to the mother, who smiled in a non-convincing way.

"My name is Sonya. What's yours?"

"Elizabeth," The woman said shakily. Her son, who seemed about ten, said, "Robert."

The man with the broken arm smiled and waved in a casual way, "Jeff."

The counter man, who was bleeding pretty badly, had his leg elevated on a chair right next to them.

"Malone." He said.

The robber shot them a look but didn't say anything. Sonya had never been mad that being a CSI trainee didn't allow you to wear a gun until right now. She summed it up in her brain: two guns (the one behind the counter that Malone tried to grab that the robber was too stupid to collect), two injured men (one severe, one slightly disabled because of his arm), one child and two healthy hostages. And a very inexperienced criminal.

She knew one thing could freak him out completely, so she moved her badge and hid it behind the Doritos.

* * *

MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE...

Catherine was talking with the extra five cops that answered the radio call.

"Okay, so far we know very few things: There is a child in there, a gun in the possession of the criminal, and a seventeen year old CSI trainee."

Just then, Grissom got to the scene. Catherine saw him and ran over.

"What happened?" Grissom said, and Catherine was the first to see something new in Grissom: fear. The fear of a parent.

"Grissom, it's a hostage situation."

"Sonya?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

Catherine's eyes filled with tears, "Oh, Gil, I'm so sorry. She needed aspirin for a headache and I let her go..." She trailed off.

Those words sliced right through Grissom's heart, "Let's get this done."

Grissom walked right to the police officers and said, "Listen to me. I have an idea..."

* * *

BACK INSIDE...

Sonya scooted over to Malone and examined his wound.

"Is it bad?" He winced, looking into her blue eyes.

"I'm no doctor, but I can say one thing: it's not good." Her wicked sense of humor settled well in the room and it got a few laughs.

She settled back and laid her head down when her cell phone rang, making everyone start. The robber spun the gun around and lined it up right to her head.

"Should I answer it?" Sonya asked, piercing the silence.

The silence while he was thinking told Sonya he really didn't know what he was doing.

"Should I-"

"Yes." He croaked. This was the first time she had heard him speak. She quickly answered the phone.

"Connors," She said, still staring into the eyes of the robber.

"Sonya, it's me," She recognized Gil's calm voice, but it was lined with fear. The robber was still pointing the gun at her and he didn't tell her to not talk about anything, so she stayed silent.

"How many hostages are there?"

"Five."

That got the robber's attention. He brandished the gun and said in a harsh voice, "Don't tell them anything."

She fell silent as Gil said, "Sonya? Are you still there?"

She remained silent as the robber tried to think about what to do.

"Okay, how many are injured?"

Sonya paused, and then coughed once. She heard Gil transfer the information on to the other people.

"Try to give the phone to him, Sonya."

Sonya took the phone and extended her hand out to him. "They want to talk to you."

He paused and took the phone.

"Who are you?" He said harshly. He paused, and Sonya held her breath.

"Just, shut up." He said suddenly. "I need to think... Call back in five minutes." He hung up handed the phone back to Sonya, who took this opportunity to talk to him.

"What is your name?"

He wasn't going to say anything but there was something about the young woman's eyes that forced him to keep staring.

"Jake."

"Jake," She said, his name sounding very nice in her smooth voice. Jake shook his head, berating himself for even thinking with his hormones instead of his brain. Sonya noticed the weakness of him with her and jumped all over it. She scooted closer and whispered, "Jake, why are you doing this?"

He looked back into her eyes again. _What? What is it in her eyes?_ Jake thought. Then, reality set in and he shoved her away, leaving the question unanswered.

Sonya looked over to Malone, who was slipping in and out of consciousness. Time was running out, and fast.

* * *

"Look, if you find a mate in life, you should be faithful. And in your case, grateful." Manfred the Mammoth to Sid the Sloth


	7. No Regrets

FIVE MINUTES LATER:

The cell rang, and Sonya picked up and slowly put it up to her ear.

"Connors," She stated. It was Gil again.

"Sonya, no matter what happens, we are going to try to get the injured hostage out of there. He's the first one out, you understand, right?"

"Yes, I will give the phone over," She said, answering his question distinctly. She handed the phone over to Jake, who took it with sweaty hands.

* * *

OUTSIDE:

Gil was sitting outside.

"What do you want?" Gil asked, the coldness apparent in his voice. Jake paused and said the first thing that came to his mind, "A helicopter. To take me to wherever I want."

Jake paused and put his head between his legs, realizing how stupid he was and full blown this was really getting. He was planning to just get some quick cash but he panicked. Way too much.

Sonya was noticing how the situation was snowballing and Jake was completely clueless. She scooted over to him and forced him to look her in the eyes. She hung up the phone and said, in a voice so low that not even the other hostages could hear her, "Jake, please, just give the hostages away."

Jake knew it was the right thing to do.

"I never wanted any of this to happen..." He said, trying hard not to cry. Sonya was still looking at him and whispered, "I know..."

Jake looked to all the hostages, "Go. Just leave."

Elizabeth and Robert helped Malone up and Jeff held the door open. They stumbled as they were walking and no one noticed Sonya's badge fall out onto the floor. Sonya stayed back until everyone was out. She turned to Jake and said, "Thank you."

He trusted her. He couldn't believe it. How can you trust someone you don't really know? He tore his eyes away from her gaze and looked on the floor and saw her badge.

Sonya followed his gaze to the badge. From where they were standing you could easily make out the name Sonya Connors on it.

He looked up at her and looked outside and saw all the cops and the SWAT team running up to take the hostages. That was when he realized it: giving the hostages up wasn't going to do anything. He was still going to jail, maybe even prison.

"They're not gonna let me go, are they?" He asked. Sonya stood there, stuck.

Grissom was outside. He could see Sonya, standing in the way of gunshots.

"Come on, Sonya," He whispered to himself.

"No," Sonya said to Jake, "They're not."

"I can't go back to jail, Sonya," He said. "I can't." So he drew his gun and put it to his head. Sonya stood there, and stared at him in such an intense way he just stood there stupidly.

"Jake, don't pull that trigger. That would be the most stupid thing you could ever do."

"You're not much of a negotiator," Jake whispered, buying time to think of what to do.

"No, I'm not, because I tell the truth," She looked deeper into his eyes as the situation teetered on an edge. "No regrets, right Jake? No regrets."

He nodded.

In that moment, the one moment in a trillion, that block in Las Vegas was frozen. A moment of complete silence.

Grissom held his breath.

Jake was torn. This woman in front of him, she was in complete control with his emotions.

"No control," He whispered as he lifted his gun and hit her in the back of her neck with the butt of his gun hard. She fell limp and he dragged her over to where they had been so short ago.

Everyone let out a huge breath in frustration as Grissom collapsed in grief.

* * *

"Gil Grissom?" An FBI agent crossed the crime scene tape and walked over to him and took his cell phone, "Do you know the hostage?"

Gil nodded, completely broken.

"You knowing this woman personally compromises your judgment. My name is Detective O'Brian. I am going to take over this situation now."

Gil nodded, to worn to argue. He seemed so tired and it hadn't even been and hour into the hostage situation. He could only imagine any more time. Catherine ran up to him and sat next to him, not saying anything.

Grissom didn't cry, he just sat there, alone with his dark thoughts.

All alone.

* * *

TWO HOURS LATER:

Sonya shook her head, just regaining consciousness. She saw Jake, staring at her badge and her picture on it. She silently scooted over to him. He never took his eyes off her picture as he said, "You know, I have never met anyone like you."

She remained silent, letting him talk. He had the cell phone on his right side on the floor, she was his left. In his right hand he held the gun loosely. In his left was her badge.

"It was like you can cast a spell and make anyone do what they want. You're probably not even aware of it."

Sonya was. She wasn't stupid. She had interacted with so many different people and seen how they acted around her.

"You have this aura of complete control and it seems like you don't care." He finally took his mask off and she could see that Jake was a young man. His face was bright pink from wearing the mask and his eyes were swollen from crying so much.

"I didn't mean to do this. I just needed money." He laughed half-heartedly, "I sure picked the wrong grocery store to rob, eh?"

Sonya didn't return his sad smile as she said, "Well, maybe you actually picked the right one."

He looked at her questioningly, not getting what she said, when the cell rang.

"Detective O'Brian?" Jake asked into the phone. They must have picked a new leader for this situation. Knowing it wasn't Grissom on the other end made Sonya uneasy.

"No, if you come in I kill the woman," He said savagely. Sonya looked away from him. "Get me my helicopter."

He hung it up and laid it back on the ground.

"This is hopeless." He muttered.

Sonya snorted quietly, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"What do you mean?"

Sonya smiled, "Hope can really be a bad thing. It keeps you worrying, keeps you wishing, and keeps you from letting go."

He nodded at that, "You know, Sonya, you may have everybody else fooled, but I see it in your eyes."

Sonya swung her head around to look at him, "What are you talking about?"

"You talk about all this crap about letting go when you have some definite emotional baggage in your eyes."

"I don't know what-"

"They say the eyes are the window to the soul." He stood up and started searching around for something on the shelves. "And there is definitely something dark clouding yours."

That hit Sonya hard. He was right. Absolutely right.

"You are afraid of something. I don't know what, but I'm sure you do." He found some duct tape and unwrapped it from its package. Sonya was still thinking. Of Gil, of herself, and especially of Greg.

"Oh my God..." She whispered to herself as she realized it. She was afraid of love.

He taped her hands behind her back and taped her mouth shut.

She was completely calm, still staring at him.

"I'm sorry I'm not as strong as you are..." He whispered into her ears as he kissed her cheek. He hit her pounding head (she had never gotten the aspirin for her headache) and she dropped down again.

Jake looked at the cell phone and at her badge.

He picked up the gun and looked the last time at Sonya.

"No regrets..."

The gunshot rang out as everybody outside froze. Detective O' Brian gave the signal and the SWAT team ran inside and saw the pool of blood. The team leader held the walkie-talkie up to his mouth.

"It's over, Detective. It's all over."

* * *

Sonya opened her eyes as they were wheeling her out in a stretcher. In the distance she saw them. Greg and Gil stood next to each other, watching her.

The only two men she had actually ever loved.

She saw Gil run up to her as he held her hand, "Sonya?" She heard.

"I'm sorry..." She said.

Gil looked down in bewilderment, "For what?"

"For never calling you Dad..." She trailed off as she fell back to sleep.

Gil stood back as they slammed the ambulance doors and as they drove her away. She was right. It hurt him that she never called him Dad.

"Well," he said to himself, "I never really called you my daughter, either."

* * *

"All my life / I prayed for someone like you / and I thank God that I... / that I finally found you..."

-K Ci and JoJo


	8. Never Alone

Sonya opened her eyes and she saw all of the CSIs sitting around, watching her.

Warrick was the first to notice. "Well, welcome back to the world of the living."

Everyone spun around and smiled at her as he slowly lifted herself up. "I never thought I would be back in a hospital so soon," Sonya said, grinning to Sara, who returned it.

"Why am I in here?" She asked. Catherine shook her head, "They have to keep you under observation because of the trauma."

That is when everything came flooding over her again. Grissom noticed and said, "Okay, everyone, crime scenes are waiting."

Nick and Warrick looked over to each other and said, "Woo," in unison and with pure sarcasm. Everyone said goodbye and exited when it was just Grissom and Greg.

Greg walked up first and Sonya was the first to speak.

"I never realized how hypocritical I was, Greg," she said, lifting her hand to run it down his face as one single tear fell from his eye. "I couldn't let go of what my father," her voice cracked, "Of what he did to me."

Greg held her hand and kissed her on the cheek, "Don't worry about a single thing, Sonya. I would wait until the end of eternity for you."

Her eyes welled up in tears as he leaned in for their first real kiss, one without bad memories. Greg broke away, because he knew Gil was still in the room, and wiped her tears off her cheek. He winked and left, leaving Gil sitting on a chair across the room looking at her.

Greg was outside and looked through the window. Nothing was said, yet everything was resolved as Grissom walked over to his daughter and hugged her. They embraced and both were crying. Out of respect, Greg lowered his gaze and walked away.

* * *

Sonya awoke as she looked over to the clock, which read ten o' clock at night. She looked over to the couch in her room and smiled as she saw Greg lying on it, his legs hanging out awkwardly because he was too tall.

Greg opened his eyes and saw Sonya smiling at him. He grinned back as she said, "I think it is way past visiting hours."

He sat up and said, "Well, they don't check the bathrooms for spare visitors."

Her eyes grew wide as she said, "You hid out in the bathrooms?"

He grinned bashfully as he ran his fingers through his hair. He walked over and the moonlight from the outside window was the only thing lighting the room. He sat down next to her and he said, "For good reason. I forgot to tell you something."

"What?"

"I love you. I am in love with you."

He leaned in and kissed her again, and this time Sonya wasn't haunted by bad memories... she was melting... she felt like she was melting...

Sonya felt butterflies in her stomach as she said, "I love you, too. I am so sorry I shunned you... it's just that... before you, all I knew of love was a lustful hate..."

Greg knew she was talking about her father. He leaned in and looked at her and whispered, "I know you're still afraid, from what your father did. I know you're afraid because he would leave you alone, wouldn't he?"

Sonya nodded, remembering herself alone in the corner of her bedroom and crying.

"I am never going to leave you, Sonya." He climbed into bed with her, and hugged her close to him, forming a protective cocoon around her as her tears dried and they slowly drifted off to sleep in the comfortable silence.

"I will never leave you..."

* * *

"If you lose yourself / your courage soon will follow / so be strong tonight / And remember who you are. . ." –Bryan Adams


	9. Forget, Forgive, Dream, Cry, Love and Li...

The nurse walked into the room and dropped the towels she was carrying when she saw Greg and Sonya together.

"SIR!" She shrieked, making Greg and Sonya start. The clock read six o' clock in the morning. The nurse was beside herself, "I'm sorry, sir, but you must leave immediately!" Sonya and Greg yawned groggily. "Never..." She was muttering to herself, "...in my entire nursing career." She spun around to see Greg and Sonya kissing.

"I am going to be back in fifteen minutes. If you're still in here, sir, I will personally call security..." She threw a look at the couple and muttered more incoherent words while she stomped out, leaving Greg and Sonya to burst out laughing as Greg jumped out of bed, fully clothed, and laughed.

"I just had the best night of my entire life... and I am still fully dressed."

Sonya smiled and said, "Me too, and we're in a hospital too. That's odd."

"I got to get going," He looked at his watch and leaned over to kiss her. "I'll be back in the afternoon."

"Good bye," She said, kissing him back and watching his retreating back.

Greg walked out, got about one fourth of the way down the hall. He stood there for a second and watched his hands.

He had stopped shaking.

He spun around as he saw Grissom sitting in a chair outside Sonya's room. Greg walked back over to him and sat down right next to him. They stared at the wall in front of them.

"I'm not mad at you, Greg," Grissom said.

"I'm not apologizing," Greg said back.

"...but if you hurt her, I swear to whatever entity that scares you that I will..." Grissom started, and then trailed off.

Greg smiled, "Naw, I couldn't hurt her. She's too strong."

Grissom thought back, "No, she really isn't."

Greg laughed, "You really don't know, do you?"

Grissom still looked at the wall as a few doctors passed.

"She has... she has changed everyone. She has taught us all everything.

"She taught Warrick how to forget... how to forget his past, with the gambling and Holly Gribbs and the mistakes... And that one case, the one that hit him hard. What was it, the Johnson case? Little Lyla Johnson.

"She taught Catherine how to forgive. Did you know how much she hated Sara subconsciously? After her ex died, a part of her seemed to die too... but Sonya taught her to forgive Sara for doing the right thing.

"She taught Nick how to dream. He had been living like a robot, doing the same thing every day.

"She taught Sara how to cry. After her miscarriage, she had kept everything pent up inside.

"She..." His voice was beginning to crack now, "She taught me how to love... real love."

Greg stood up and spun around to look at Grissom, who finally looked at Greg in the eyes.

"But those are nothing compared to what she taught you."

"What has she taught me?" Gil asked, his eyes filling up with tears again.

"Gil, man, she taught... she taught you how to live."

He spun around and walked down the hall, and never looked back.

--------------------END------------------------

Thanks again to all!

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return." Christian from Moulin Rouge


End file.
